La Salle to begin mandatory drug tests for students

GREEN TOWNSHIP, OH (FOX19) -

La Salle High School will begin mandatory drug tests for its students beginning the 2014-2015 school year.

Administrators announced details of the school's Drug Prevention/Intervention Testing Program on their website. The program is voluntary this year, but officials say it will become mandatory for students and staff next year.

Under the voluntary program this year, students are selected randomly for hair drug testing. The collected sample is sent to Psychemedics, and the results are sent by the principal to parents and students within two weeks.

According to La Salle's website, if the results test positive the principal will conference with the student and parents. The student will also be required to obtain external drug-intervention counseling at the family's expense, choose a coach or teacher as an adult mentor, and pay for a second test about 100 days later.

The school says it will make drug testing mandatory for all students next school year.

If a student tests positive for a second time during his years at La Salle, he'll be expelled. However, school officials say all students will begin 2014-2015 with a "clean slate."

La Salle says the program aims to prevent students from starting to use drugs "by giving them a clear and obvious reason to say 'no' at all times."